"The Office" needs to STOP with the Jim-Pam nonsense

Was I the only person actually, physically cringing last night as Pam poured her heart out on the beach to Jim in "The Office"? And it wasn't the good kind of cringing this show often brings, such as when Michael tells Stanley to go to the back of the bus. This is the kind of cringing (and my frustration went beyond cringing; if I didn't love my TV so much I would have been throwing things at it) that this show should be above.

Someone needs to tell the writers that the Jim-Pam story is played out. They should also include a note that says: Character continuity is important. This is NOT behavior Pam would take part in; putting aside the very stupid fact that she walked across hot coals, Pam would never make a public statement like this about how she feels about Jim. She has been hiding that fact from EVERYONE, even Jim. If she really decided she was feeling "honest," that wouldn't completely change her character. She would go to Jim, or someone else she could confide in -- not act like an idiot in front of the entire group.

I realize they are trying to set up a "cliffhanger" to end the season on, but that was beyond preposterous. And cliffhangers are completely unnecessary for a show like "The Office." Ask Ricky Gervais, who left people wanting much more when he ended the original, U.K. version of the show before it had done any shark jumping.

Speaking of the U.K. version, if the reason the U.S. version flails sometimes with the Pam-Jim storyline is because it's trying to differentiate itself from the original, it should try another tactic. It does best with its quirky, tertiary characters, all of whom are hysterical. And, let's face it: The best stuff about the U.S. version is borrowed from Gervais & Co.

There are times when this show is extremely funny -- this episode even had many of those moments with the beach retreat -- but when it crosses this line and tries to do sentimental, it's absurd in the worst possible way. As if it weren't bad enough that the Jim-Pam stuff is boring and that Jenna Fischer shows she's acting every time she looks at the camera (it's not natural when she does it, like it is with the other actors), Pam's and Jim's relationship isn't remotely worth rooting for. At this point, I'll be mad if they DO get them together. Let's hope Rashida Jones' pilot doesn't get picked up, so Karen can stick around.